January 27, 2014
My dog got into a tiff with another dog on our walk. After, there was fur from the other dog on the ground. The other owner saw and accused my dog of biting his dog. Fur flying does does not equal dog bite, right?
Full Question:
My 6-year-old yellow lab is a jumper so when people come by, I tend to restrain him to keep him close to me to protect the dog but also the people/bike/other kids/kids/etc from jumping. Last night, a guy walking toward us with 2 dogs came up to me and said it was ok and the dogs can greet one another. My dog has always been friendly; he's a gentle lab. But then my dog and 1 of his dogs got into a tiff with each other - it happened so fast that I don't know which dog started it though my dog has not done this in the past. The other owner saw that some dog fur from his dog was on the sidewalk and accused my dog of biting his dog? I said no, my dog does not bite and has never bitten. He said he was going to get the fur tested for saliva from my dog and then go to Animal Control and request that my dog be put down. I asked him to leave me alone, but he followed me and continued to harass me. Fur flying does does not equal dog bite, right? I think the dog owner was too aggressive toward me! 
Ed's Answer:
This guy is an asshole. But with this said, I hope you have learned a valuable lesson.
I would NEVER allow a strange dog to come anywhere near my dog or dogs. Most people are clueless dog owners. The fact that this dummy said his dog was OK and allowed his dogs to come up to a stray dog confirms that.
You are your dog’s pack leader. What you need to do in instances like this is step in between your dog and any stray dog or any dog (even if it is on leash) and tell the other dog to stay away. If it’s some idiot (like this guy), just tell the guy your dog has had a bad experience and you don’t want any contact with his dog.
In this case tell animal control that this individual approached you and his dog attacked your dog. Then its his word against yours. But the fact is, you didn't approach him, he came to you.
I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. It’s free to watch if you can watch streaming video on your computer. I suggest you watch it. Good management is just as important as good obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
You may want to read the article I wrote on dog parks. While this was not in a dog park, the same concept applies.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
I would NEVER allow a strange dog to come anywhere near my dog or dogs. Most people are clueless dog owners. The fact that this dummy said his dog was OK and allowed his dogs to come up to a stray dog confirms that.
You are your dog’s pack leader. What you need to do in instances like this is step in between your dog and any stray dog or any dog (even if it is on leash) and tell the other dog to stay away. If it’s some idiot (like this guy), just tell the guy your dog has had a bad experience and you don’t want any contact with his dog.
In this case tell animal control that this individual approached you and his dog attacked your dog. Then its his word against yours. But the fact is, you didn't approach him, he came to you.
I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. It’s free to watch if you can watch streaming video on your computer. I suggest you watch it. Good management is just as important as good obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
You may want to read the article I wrote on dog parks. While this was not in a dog park, the same concept applies.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
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